As the automotive world looks forward to Beijing, and what promises to be one of the most significant auto show in this year's calendar, Car Design News is actively contributing to the focus on China by hosting three events – CDN Interior Motives China Conference, Car Design Awards China and Car Design Night. CDN Interior Motives China Conference
Our annual CDN Interior Motives China Conference takes place over the weekend of 21-22 April, immediately prior to the opening of the motor show. The theme of this year's conference – ‘Chinese Car Design 2.0 The foundations are in place; let the creativity begin' – neatly sums up the challenge facing designers in the world's largest car market.

This is the Mini Countryman John Cooper Works, set to be unveiled at the 2012 Geneva motor show. It’s the most powerful Mini so far, with 215bhp, and the first JCW product to boast four-wheel drive. Timed to coincide with much vaunted success in the World Rally Championship… Oh.

THE AA has raised concerns over the practice of turning off street lights at night, saying that councils are "ignoring the findings of road-accident inquests" in their bid to save money. The motoring organisation cited the fact that at least five pedestrians and a cyclist have been killed since 2009 because, according to accident investigators at inquests, drivers had little or no chance of avoiding the collisions on blacked-out roads with speed limits of 40mph or higher. The AA added that although some councils have recognised the danger and turned their street lights back on, others were "ignoring inquest findings".